Animals You've Never Heard Of - B Edition

DISCLAIMER: You may have heard of some of these animals.

A binturong can balance extraordinarily with the help of his heavy tail.

Binturong

Remember the African civet from the A Edition? Well, this guy is even bigger than he is! The binturong dominates the family as being the largest of the viverrids, sometimes weighing over 49 lbs. Also called the bearcat, the binturong is neither a bear, nor a cat! It's not a monkey either, it's just a viverrid (or a viverrine if you prefer).

These nocturnal mammals are one of the only two animals in the entire order of Carnivora to possess a prehensile tail. Not only that, but they release a musk from their perineal gland which actually, truly, smells like buttered popcorn or sometimes even fresh cornbread. Who ever knew a caboose could smell so good?

Throughout Asia the binturong is classified as vulnerable, its dwindling numbers the result of deforestation. They are noted as being ferocious if cornered in the wild, but can make decent pets for people who understand their requirements.

"Oink oink."

Fearfully and wonderfully made.

Babirusa

Probably the most bizarre of all swines, the babirusa takes the cake when it comes to strangest natural dental placement ever. It is unknown what reason Nature had to give these guys their oddly shaped tusks, which are actually the top set of canines that grow upward until they pierce the skin and curl backward between the eyes, but at any rate they're a sight to behold.

But why is this such a bizarre design, you may ask? Well…nobody knows! Science cannot tell us! Aside from blocking the pig's line of vision, this can also happen. The male Babirusa cannot live into his geriatric years unless his horns are trimmed by humans or broken off in combat, because they will curl right on through his skull. Mother Nature, what the heck?!

Both male and female crested pigeons have these beautiful colors.

Crested pigeons have been kept domestically since the 1800s, but do not propagate well.

Blue Crowned Pigeon

Yes, you read that right. This is, in fact, a pigeon, ladies and gentleman. But unlike any we have here in the United States, the Blue crowned pigeon struts its stuff down in Indonesia and New Guinea where all the animals are much more interesting.

Victoria, blue, and Scheepmaker’s crowned pigeons are modest, friendly birds just like any other pigeon you might come across in town. They are very trusting of people, which often results in disaster for them because natives enjoy the taste of their little pigeon meats and have a tendency to over-hunt them for food and feathers. Deforestation doesn't help either.

Largely considered the most beautiful of all pigeons, crowned pigeons also have the honor of being the largest in all of the pigeon family (Columbidae), and were second only to the unfortunate dodo bird.

Their steady decline has led some people to fear that they are going the way of the dodo as well, and they are listed as vulnerable or endangered in their native homes. Captive populations of these birds are few, restricted mostly to professional zoos.

Civets are preyed upon by many larger animals, and always have to be on guard.

Though typically ground dwellers, banded palm civets will not hesitate to explore trees as well.

Banded Palm Civet

Are we getting tired of viverrids yet? Not at all! After all, they are a family of animals largely unheard of by the common populace, due to the simple fact that none of them live in Europe or the United States. But does this mean they are not awesome? Of course not!

The banded palm civet is one of the more distinctly marked of all viverrids, what with their heavy vertical stripes which help them blend into the rainforests of their Asian homes. They are shaped very similar to a weasel, with an elongated tail, body, and head. This of course works to their advantage as they slink about the forest floor in search of rodents, snakes, and delicious frogs.

Like all civets, these guys are solitary hunters, and prefer the taste of meat but will not turn down the occasional fruit or salad (or fruit salad). But because of their shy nature and nocturnal habits, we unfortunately do not know a whole lot about these beautiful creatures except what we have observed in captivity. Civets have the capability of living upwards of 20 years in captivity, but it is unknown the average lifespan of one in the wild.

The prettiest of all roaches.

"I come in peace!"

Banana Cockroach

And of course we couldn't leave out this little gem! If you are afraid of cockroaches, not only is that a really big waste of your time, it's also a real loss because there are actually some pretty neat ones out there. For example: the banana cockroach.

Unlike the ones you may find in your home, these Caribbean cuties are not considered a pest species, and prefer to live their happy little lives outdoors in the bushes and trees. With a penchant for warm, damp tropical dirt beds, it's no wonder they prefer the rainforest to a person's home (human establishments are way too arid for anybody's good).

These roaches are quite small, the females barely reaching an inch in length. They enjoy eating a rounded diet of pretty much absolutely anything and are excellent forest-dwelling ground cleaners. Due to their attractive appearance and their lack of invasive tendencies, they are becoming more and more popular as pets, but are much more flighty (literally; they fly) than the ever popular hissing cockroach.

Comments

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sending

AP

22 months ago

The binturong is my favorite of those animals, but the banana cockroach is the one one I hadn't heard of.

Someday, I hope to keep both a binturong and crowned pigeons, the latter as part of a massive aviary collection I hope to build when I have land and money.

AUTHOR

Shaddie

6 years agofrom Washington state

Oh no, I said -mostly- restricted, and "restricted" was probably a bad choice of word. I meant they are limited, not that they are banned. They certainly can be found for sale to the general public, but not very often (as I'm sure you know). Zoos may have established populations of them but there is not a large number of civilians who own and breed them for whatever reason. They certainly are beautiful, and you would be the first person I've ever heard of that would have one!

Melissa A Smith

6 years agofrom New York

You got one I haven't heard of, how sad for the babirusa. This is my point on how nature doesn't necessarily deal well-being cards for every animal. As soon as I have the ability to I will have that pigeon. That's one of the number ones on my list! I'm pretty sure that must be incorrect info about them being restricted to zoos because I've seen them for sale a couple times ;) The roaches are so adorable.

AUTHOR

Shaddie

6 years agofrom Washington state

Oh yes, viverrids are a wonderful bunch aren't they? I am always surprised how many people don't know about them, and I'm glad I could inform you :) Thanks against for looking over my hubs.

Patricia Scott

6 years agofrom sunny Florida

O, poor Babirusa....to suffer an untimely death with its own body part! The civet is a cutie pie. And that pigeon is a m a z i n g...

I learned a bunch tucked into this hub...I did not know what a viverred was and now I do. You were the cause of me looking up the word to find out. Thanks for sharing this with us. I will be reading your other hub.

Bill Holland

6 years agofrom Olympia, WA

The cockroach grosses me out, the pigeon is beautiful, and this was a very interesting hub! Well done!

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